Feature Archives - Page 43 of 100

Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas

I expect some of you are going to have some significant leftovers this weekend. Many people, myself included, are doing a big traditional Thanksgiving dinner for fewer people this year. So what are you going to do with all that extra food? One idea is to identify a neighbor who may not be able to cook for him/herself and bring some leftovers to him/her. I often freeze food like cooked turkey and extra pie for another time. But leftovers can obviously be repurposed and turned into a whole other meal. My family is perfectly happy to have Thanksgiving 2.0 on Friday and Saturday! In case you’re looking for some recipes, I pulled together a few from my site with links below.Continue reading

Dinner Planner – Week of November 23rd, 2020

We are in the home stretch! The energy I have been noticing is that people are either feeling like this is going to be the easiest Thanksgiving ever because they’re cooking for 6 instead of 26 OR they are panicking because they have to cook Thanksgiving for the first time ever in their entire lives. This is no time to put pressure on ourselves to do anything more than we are capable of. So the dinners leading up to Thanksgiving should be EASY! For anyone already planning ahead, Prolon is having a great black Friday sale until November 30th. Click here to get $50 off prolon + 30 ct Free Fast Bar with Free Shipping with code: BFCM50. Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading

Planning a Happy Thanksgiving 2020 – 1 week to go!

This post has been edited from the original which was published on November 17, 2011.

It’s always hard to accomplish your Thanksgiving tasks when you don’t know how many people you’re having over or what your menu is! But my menu is done and we will be approximately 9 people, including my oldest daughter who is coming home this weekend. I am so excited to have all my kids in the kitchen this year prepping and cooking with me. I had a stroke of genius 8 years ago, which was to tack my Thanksgiving to-do list on the refrigerator and have everyone sign up for three tasks. Even my husband helps out!

It is so unbelievable to me that I didn’t teach a single in-person Thanksgiving class this year. I normally teach 5 per week for 3 weeks! I miss my peeps. Sigh. I have done most of most grocery shopping other than a few items which need to buy purchased when I pick up my turkey. I plan the days leading up to Thanksgiving pretty carefully so I don’t forget anything and also so that I have a list to cross things off (that makes me feel so accomplished!) I think about regular meals and activities, too. Here’s what my schedule will look like from Sunday until we eat on Thursday at 4:00 pm (-ish). This shouldn’t make you feel exhausted, but merely show you what you can do ahead for your own Thanksgiving! The Chalkboard Mag published a really great blogpost four years ago with tons of tips from lots of food experts (including me!) I highly recommend giving it a quick read.

As if I hadn’t already told you, my Thanksgiving ebook is available for only $15!

This PDF contains all my Thanksgiving recipes, tips and tricks, in one document! You will have everything you need to plan and execute your best Thanksgiving ever, says me and everyone I know who has bought it. Click here to access the Thanksgiving ebook.

Butternut Squash Lasagne with Mushrooms, Sage, Kale, and Cashew-Cauliflower Bechamel Recipe

Here it is – the last Thanksgiving recipe I will share this year. I never post any Thanksgiving recipes after this point because I am hoping you will have committed to your menu in its entirety by now. No more going back and forth, hemming and hawing. Don’t overthink it. Whatever you have chosen will be wonderful. The important thing is to have it set so you can secure all your ingredients and tools and be well into prep-ahead mode as soon as possible!Continue reading

Dinner Planner – Week of November 16th, 2020

I just had the most wonderful week in Stony Brook with my mom. The weather was a 10/10 and I was also able to see my sisters and their families and my auntie. So special! I came home a day early because my husband’s 105-year-old Grandma Rose passed away while I was in NY. She was very dear to me and I wanted to be there for her memorial service on Friday. Many people in my community know her because I always post a picture with her on her birthday, and occasionally a video. She lived a long and beautiful life, but we will miss her.

Looking forward, I will be doing more Thanksgiving prep this week like freezing stock and pie crusts, and towards the end of the week, I’ll make cranberry sauce and applesauce! Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading

Planning a Happy Thanksgiving 2020 – 2 Weeks and Counting!

This post was edited from the original published on November 10, 2011.

Life is unpredictable, but Thanksgiving is not and it is 2 weeks away! My family and I are excited! Don’t let these Thursday posts stress you out. The whole point is to show you what you can do in advance, not what you must do in advance. All these tips and strategies are most relevant to the hosts and hostesses who are preparing most or all of the meal themselves and who have a busy schedule leading up to the holiday. If I didn’t get a lot of these tasks completed early, I don’t see how I could pull off this meal without tons of stress.

I’m so thrilled so many of you are happy with the Thanksgiving ebook! Thank you for sharing all of your feedback. For those of you on the fence, if you are planning ANY large holiday gathering or meal with many components, this ebook will be the best $15 you have ever spent! Click here to get your ebook. 🙂

Gluten-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Tart Recipe

Usually, I am a Don’t-Mess-With-Chocolate kind of gal, but I am also Team Chocolate-Makes-Everything-Better. I am definitely in the latter camp for this recipe. Pumpkin Pie is not the one I go for on Thanksgiving. I like it perfectly well, but with everything else I make, it’s not my #1. Unless I add chocolate.Continue reading

Dinner Planner – Week of November 9th, 2020

Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away and my family and I are super excited! We needed something to be super excited about!! It’s going to be the smallest Thanksgiving we have ever had, but I am doing it up anyway – a whole turkey, all the fixings, 3 pies and homemade ice cream. Yes, yes, yes! My new, updated Thanksgiving ebook is finally available and will help you with every detail, every prep-ahead tip, ALL my Thanksgiving recipes in one place with color photos. All for $10. $10 to have a stress-free Thanksgiving!

In other news, I’ll be doing a special Instagram live with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Dr. Henry Cloud, on Monday, November 9 at 5:00 pm PT. We will be discussing the missing piece to the Thanksgiving puzzle – how to prepare for familial dysfunction! Bring your questions or just come to listen to our discussion which I know will be super interesting! Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading